Biography

"The soul is not digital."

Lara Porzak (b. 1967) is an American photographer living and working in Los Angeles. She works exclusively with analog methods dating back to the 19th century, including tintypes, gelatin silver lith, and wet collodion.

 

Porzak is particularly attached to the materiality of handmade photography, seeking to bring out its inherent magnetism. Working with soft focus and expressive tintypes, she explores the ambiguity between abstraction and figuration, evoking images that feel both distant and enduring. Her work has been described by the Los Angeles Times as combining "a photojournalistic style with the romantic influences of European photographers from the 1930s and 1940s," giving her photographs a timeless quality and strong sense of narrative. Her works are held in notable collections, including the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Works
  • Atlas Moth
    Atlas Moth
  • Flutterby
    Flutterby
  • H.A.W.K.
    H.A.W.K.
  • Desert Varnish, Lake Study
    Desert Varnish, Lake Study
  • Gwen's Flowers
    Gwen's Flowers
  • Wild, Outer Banks, N.C
    Wild, Outer Banks, N.C
  • Moon Glow
    Moon Glow
  • Lake Powell
    Lake Powell
  • Bucephalus, The Camargue
    Bucephalus, The Camargue
  • Alien Land
    Alien Land
  • The Place for Young Spirits - On the Road R.F.N.
    The Place for Young Spirits - On the Road R.F.N.
  • Kentucky Road
    Kentucky Road
  • Mustard Jars
    Mustard Jars
  • Fog 12
    Fog 12
  • Route 395
    Route 395
  • Angel
    Angel
  • Silver Wing Tintype
    Silver Wing Tintype
  • Lightning
    Lightning
  • Swallowtail's Flight
    Swallowtail's Flight
  • Lightning Grand Canyon
    Lightning Grand Canyon
  • Lilies
    Lilies
  • Properties of Thirst
    Properties of Thirst
  • Copper Glow
    Copper Glow
  • Peonies 3
    Peonies 3
  • Momma's Humingbird
    Momma's Humingbird
  • Screech Owl
    Screech Owl
  • Almond Blossoms I
    Almond Blossoms I
  • Secret Cove, British Colombia
    Secret Cove, British Colombia
  • Tesuque Cloud
    Tesuque Cloud
  • Gesturing Tulip
    Gesturing Tulip
  • “Pinwheel”
    “Pinwheel”
  • Arched Oak, Santa Ynez
    Arched Oak, Santa Ynez
  • We the People, Grand Canyon
    We the People, Grand Canyon
  • Cambria Quartet #2
    Cambria Quartet #2
  • El Capitan Heart
    El Capitan Heart
  • Pine with Cloud, Aspen
    Pine with Cloud, Aspen
  • Christopher's meadow
    Christopher's meadow
  • Morpho Quintet
    Morpho Quintet
  • The road to three chairs
    The road to three chairs
  • Bearded Lilies
    Bearded Lilies
  • Ghost Butterfly
    Ghost Butterfly
  • Flair
    Flair
  • Sadie's Peonies
    Sadie's Peonies
  • She/her
  • Yosemite Falls
    Yosemite Falls
  • Clouds, the Lake
    Clouds, the Lake
  • Crows Kiss
    Crows Kiss
  • Lone Tree, Romero Ranch, New Mexico
    Lone Tree, Romero Ranch, New Mexico
  • Half dome
  • Longhorn Romero Ranch, New Mexico
    Longhorn Romero Ranch, New Mexico
  • Single Peony Daguerrotype
    Single Peony Daguerrotype
  • Billi Bird
    Billi Bird
Exhibitions
Video